The PLA has issued a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for Qualified Environmental Professionals to submit applications to us for the design of sediment control options for our major tributaries. This is just another step to help reduce the amount of nutrients entering the lake and hopefully reduce the occurrence of cyanobacteria blooms.
The 2024 water quality report that is created from the sampling the PLA does through out the year with UNH is not available at this link …. Water Quality Report
The annual meeting on July 26th, at 9:00am at Edge Lake Farm (Province Lake Golf Course).
A virtual option is provided below if you are unable to attend in person.
Our guest speaker this year is James Shimansky, Program Coordinator for the Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA). James will be speaking on the recently conducted Watershed Survey as well as our upcoming Septic Survey.
Attached, please find (.pdf) a copy of the meeting packet, which includes the agenda, information about the purpose and roles within the PLA, and bios for our Board of Director members that are up for re-election and those being newly elected.
Physical copies of the packet will also be made available at the meeting.
We look forward to seeing everyone there!
When: July 26th, 9:00am-12:00pm
In-Person Location: Parsonsfield, ME 04047 Edge Lake Farm (Province Lake Golf Course) 1804 Province Lake Road
There will be two beach clean ups this year. One in July and one in September. Mark your calendars and come meet some people, help the lake and just feel good about it.
So you all are aware, the loon raft was put out on Saturday May 3 over in the Hobbs Brook area as normal. A big thanks to Steve Craig for maintaining the raft over the winter and getting it ready to put out this spring. Also a big thanks to Jim Aiken and David Luce for getting the raft situated in the lake. Please stay away from the nest while the loons decide if they want to nest there or not.
The Loon’s have also been seen checking things out around the island. As you may recall, the Loons nested on the island in 2023 and had a baby as well as an abandoned egg. Should they nest there again, we will come out with some more warnings etc..
As you may or may not know, the PLA had a watershed management plan completed back in 2014. Included in that was what is called a watershed survey, which entails walking the watershed and identifying areas where erosion and nutrient/pollution loading is occurring.
We will be updating this watershed survey on April 26, 2025 and desperately need volunteers to help. Since erosion is one of the primary contributors to the excess phosphorus in the lake, which in turn causes cyanobacteria blooms, this is a great opportunity for those who want to do something to help to get involved!
See flyer for more information. PLEASE NOTE … the flyer below indicates an all day event. It will be no more than 8 hours and some folks will be done sooner.
Further information will be emailed as the event gets closer including the virtual meeting link, meet up location, etc
If you have any questions, prior to signing up, please reach out and ask.
We are sending you a quick note to inform you that NH DES has put a Research Buoy on the lake near the deep spot over toward the golf course. The picture below shows what it looks like. The purpose of the buoy is to gather temperature and oxygen levels at various depths of the lake to see if the lake ever truly stratifies and if so whether the oxygen level gets depleted at the deepest area. This will give us more information on whether phosphorus coming from the sediment at the bottom is a larger contributor to the phosphorus in the lake than we have previously thought.
There is a light on the buoy as well, so if you happen to be out at night, you will see it. Please stay away from it and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. It is going to remain in the lake until fall of 2025, so basically a full year from now.
Again, please help us by not going near it and help spread the word.
DES did get samples yesterday and sent the following to us …..
Hi All,
Two samples were collected from Province Lake yesterday, from Ames Park and off of Bonnyman Road. Both had only low levels of cyanobacteria, 27,800 and 5,500 cells/mL of Dolichospermum.
The bloom has been reported as coming and going. For now, it appears to have passed, but may reappear! Keep us posted through the bloom report form and we’ll resample as necessary. Otherwise, the watch will remain active for a week, then we will take it off our map.
Best, Kate
The CyanoHAB Team Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Bloom Program Watershed Management Bureau, Water Division New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services 29 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095 603-848-8094 hab@des.nh.gov
NH DES has issued a Cyanobacteria WATCH for Province Lake. There have been some blooms seen on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. But, today the water is clear. DES will be here on Monday to get a sample. If the water looks as it does in the pictures below, a Warning will more than likely be issued. The attached pictures were from yesterday along Bonnyman Rd near Ames Park.
Bottom line of this is to keep your eyes open. It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend. If the water doesn’t look good, stay out.